Daily update on the review of the news, by Whit House Dossier for Thursday.

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The Right Stuff In The Morning

Thursday, December 18, 2014  

Good morning! Leading the news today: Obama mends ties with Cuba; likely to stage a triumphant visit; Marco Rubio leads the opposition; a report on how the whole thing went down; and how Republicans will try to stop it; Michelle charges racist customer at Target; North Korea found to be behind Sony hacking; and Cuomo bars fracking in New York.

Have a great day.

Keith

U.S., Cuba patch relations in historic accord . . . After a half-century of Cold War acrimony, the United States and Cuba moved on Wednesday to restore diplomatic relations - a historic shift that could revitalize the flow of money and people across the narrow waters that separate the two nations. Associated Press Obama visit to Cuba appears probable . . . He didn’t exactly say it, but responses by White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest to questions today about the possibility of President Obama visiting Cuba appeared designed to lay the basis for just such a visit. White House Dossier Marco Rubio's Havana moment . . . A day after fellow Floridian Jeb Bush announced he’s seriously exploring a presidential run — dampening Rubio’s 2016 prospects — the senator took back the spotlight by emerging as the face of GOP opposition to the White House’s decision to normalize relations with Cuba. Politico Rubio was effective and direct Wednesday, but seemed a little too much like he was about  to cry. Obama blames U.S. for denying Cubans tech access . . . “Unfortunately, our sanctions on Cuba have denied Cubans access to technology that has empowered individuals around the globe. So I’ve authorized increased telecommunications connections between the United States and Cuba." CNS News Actually, that would be the Castros. Obama gambles with Florida . . . The surprise move represents a bold political gamble on behalf of his party that demographic and generational change in the ultimate swing state will offset the inevitable backlash from Florida’s aging exile community. Politico Miami stunned . . . Shock reverberated through Miami, the heart of the exile community, where detractors lambasted the policy shift — and the Democratic president — for what they called a betrayal. Miami Herald Poll: Majority want normalization . . . The poll showed that 56 percent of Americans across the country would like to see a softening in U.S. dealings with Cuba, which increases to 62 percent among Latinos. Newsmax The Castros finally hit the jackpot . . . After waiting out 10 other U.S. presidents, the Castro regime finally hit the jackpot in Obama, whose beliefs about our Cuba policy probably don’t differ much from those of the average black-turtleneck-clad graduate student in Latin American studies. Rich Lowry How the rapprochement came about . . . In the spring of 2013, Obama authorized direct talks between key White House staffers and Cuban officials. One of those staffers was Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security advisor in his mid-30s who has worked with Obama since 2007. Rhodes’s background is in speechwriting and press management, but he has moved steadily deeper into Obama’s inner advisory circle. Politico How Republicans could try to stop it . . .  On the list: deny Obama funds to reopen an embassy in Havana, stall the nomination of a potential ambassador, vote down a bill to open up travel more widely and ignore requests from the White House to lift a decades-old embargo.Politico Big win for business . . . In all, hundreds of business groups, ranging from the powerful U.S. Chamber of Commerce to corporate titans like Caterpillar, urged the U.S. to ease up on Cuba. The Hill Business lobbyists in Washington have been dying to open the Cuban market for years. Cuban blogger: Gross a "hook" to release spies . . . "The contractor wasn’t arrested for what he did, but rather for what they could do with him,” wrote Yoani Sanchez. “For those of us who know the mechanism of pressure used by the Plaza of the Revolution toward its opponents, the capture of Gross itself was a move aimed at recovering the Interior Ministry’s agents.” CNS News Wolf gets into it with GOP Congresswoman . . . When Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida claimed the CNN correspondent in Havana Blitzer had been hyping was reciting the Castros' talking points, Wolf got real testy. Politico Cigar connoisseurs rejoice . . . New York cigar connoisseurs rejoice over the idea of enjoying a Cuban Cohiba. Reuters Well, there's always a silver lining. White House Dossier quote of the Day ******* Support REDLINE and White House Dossier when you shop on Amazon. Just click on this link and bookmark it for use each time you make a purchase. REDLINE and White House Dossier will receive a percentage of the price of your purchase, but it doesn't cost you a thing! Thanks for your support.

IRS forced to cut enforcement . . . The IRS will freeze hiring and stop overtime as a result of the budget cuts just passed by Congress, according to an email obtained by Politico. Nice Michelle story became racism . . . She previously said a request for help from someone at Target was an adorable story. Now, it's a racist assumption the black woman was there to perform a service. Truth Revolt Part of a People article in which the Obamas detailed their racial slights. Obama schedule for Thursday

North Korea behind Sony hacking . . . Federal investigators have now connected the hacking of Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. to North Korea, a U.S. official said Wednesday. Sony on Wednesday canceled the Dec. 25 release, citing the threats of violence at movie theaters that planned to show the movie, and later said there were no further plans to release the film. Associated Press Obama: "Go to the movies" . . . President Obama Wednesday said Americans should not be alarmed by a terrorism threat made against movie theaters. “For now, my recommendation would be, 'Go to the movies,'” Obama said Wednesday in an interview with ABC News. Where's the rest of the Syria coalition? . . . Although President Barack Obama's administration announced the Syrian air strikes three months ago as a joint campaign by Washington and its Arab allies, nearly 97 percent of the strikes in December have been carried out by the United States alone, according to U.S. military data provided to Reuters. Concerned Veterans for America launches series on the consequences of "leading from behind." First up, Libya. China tests ICBM with multiple warheads . . . Clinton-era tech transfer aided multi-warhead program. Washington Free Beacon

Republicans take final House contest . . . Rep. Ron Barber D-Ariz., a former aide to Gabrielle Giffords and her successor in office, was narrowly defeated by Republican Martha McSally. With McSally’s victory, the 2014 midterm elections have officially concluded. With 247 members, the last time the GOP enjoyed that large of a majority was the 71st Congress in 1929 and 1930. Hot Air Hill Republicans not lining up behind Jeb . . .  Republicans in Congress have plenty of nice things to say about Jeb Bush. But influential lawmakers aren’t about to jump on the Bush presidential bandwagon just yet — or bow out of possibly running against him.Politico

ISIS thug killed 150 women and girls on his own . . . One Islamic State militant is alone responsible for killing 150 women, including pregnant women and young teenagers, because they refused to marry members of the barbaric militant army, according to Iraqi officials. Fox News What happened to Arab liberalism? . . . Four years after Arab Spring protests spread across the Middle East and Northern Africa, the hopes of those initial demonstrators seem more distant than ever. Politico Palestinians push for West Bank withdrawal by 2017 . . . Arab nations backed Palestinians Wednesday, putting a resolution before the UN Security Council Wednesday that would demand an Israeli pullout from the West Bank and East Jerusalem within two years in a bid that could complicate U.S. efforts to broker peace in the region. Fox News

​ Vermont gives up on single-payer . . . Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin is canceling his dream plan to create a single-payer health system in the state, he announced Wednesday. Daily Caller Cuomo bans fracking . . . New York officials on Wednesday moved forward with an effort to ban fracking across the state, citing excessive environmental and health concerns. Fox News Driving also creates lots of health concerns. Let's all walk. Conservative black actress disowned by family . . . Stacey Dash, an actress best known for her role in the movie Clueless and more recently as a contributor to Fox News, says she is no longer on speaking terms with some family members and friends because they disagree with her conservative political views. Daily Caller U Michigan prof: It's okay to hate Republicans . . . When Susan Douglas is not busy working as a professor and chair of Communications Studies at the University of Michigan, she writes for a progressive news magazine. It was there she dropped a hate-bomb. “I hate Republicans,” Douglas writes in an article entitled “It’s Okay to Hate Republicans.” Daily Caller ​ Keith Koffler Editor White House Dossier